Religious Roots of a Political Ideology: Judaism and Christianity at the Cradle of Zionism

( Yakov M. Rabkin ) 부산외국어대학교 지중해지역원 2012 The Mediterranean Review Vol.5 No.1

Albeit overtly secular, Zionist ideology was inspired by religious thought. While traditional religions often supported the nationalist cause, the relationship of Judaism and Zionism is vastly different. Adepts of traditional Judaism immediately rejected Zionism, and this rejectionist attitude has not vanished to this day. On the other hand, Christian, mainly Protestant theologians had developed the idea of the ingathering of the Jews in the Holy Land several centuries prior to the first Zionist congress in 1897. This explains why the initially socialist oriented secular project of social transformation has undergone sacralization, becoming a focal point of Evangelical Christian Zionists. These Evangelical contributions to Zionism and the Zionist state must be taken into account in analyses of the State of Israel, its position in the modern Middle East and the policy-making of those countries where such Evangelical circles wield significant influence.

Autoimmune Diseases and Gastric Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Minkyo Song,Gonzalo Latorre,Danisa Ivanovic-Zuvic,M. Constanza Camargo,Charles S. Rabkin 대한암학회 2019 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.51 No.3

Purpose Autoimmunity is an alternative etiology of gastric inflammation, the initiating event in the gastric carcinogenic cascade. This mechanism may be an increasingly important cause of gastric cancer with the waning prevalence of its primary etiologic factor, chronic Helicobacter pylori infection. Materials and Methods PubMed and EMBASE were searched up to September 2018. Autoimmunity and 96 specific manifestations were considered for associations with gastric cancer risk. Random effects analysis was used to calculate pooled relative risk estimates (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results We found a total of 52 observational studies representing 30 different autoimmune diseases. Overall, the presence of an autoimmune condition was associated with a gastric cancer pooled RR of 1.37 (95% CI, 1.24 to 1.52). Among the 24 autoimmune conditions with two or more independent reports, nine were significantly associated with increased gastric cancer risk: dermatomyositis (RR, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.74 to 7.79), pernicious anemia (RR, 2.84; 95% CI, 2.30 to 3.50), Addison disease (RR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.26 to 3.53), dermatitis herpetiformis (RR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.97; n=3), IgG4-related disease (RR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.87), primary biliary cirrhosis (RR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.13 to 2.37), diabetes mellitus type 1 (RR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.67), systemic lupus erythematosus (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.84), and Graves disease (RR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.52). Conclusion Our analysis documents the wide range of autoimmune diseases associated with gastric cancer. These associations may reflect unreported links between these conditions and autoimmune gastritis. Further studies are warranted to investigate potential causal mechanisms.

Treatment of Human Thyroid Carcinoma Cells with the G47delta Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus

Wang, Jia-Ni,Xu, Li-Hua,Zeng, Wei-Gen,Hu, Pan,Rabkin, Samuel D.,Liu, Ren-Rin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.3

Background: Thyroid carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the endocrine organs. Although the majority of thyroid cancer patients experience positive outcomes, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is considered one of the most aggressive malignancies. Current therapeutic regimens do not confer a significant survival benefit, and new therapies are urgently needed. Oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) may represent a promising therapy for cancer. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of a third-generation HSV vector, $G47{\Delta}$, on various human thyroid carcinoma cell lines in vitro. Two subcutaneous (s.c.) models of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma were also established to evaluate the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of $G47{\Delta}$. Materials and Methods: The human thyroid carcinoma cell line ARO, FRO, WRO, and KAT-5, were infected with $G47{\Delta}$ at different multiplicities of infection (MOIs) in vitro. The survival rates of infected cells were calculated each day. Two s.c. tumor models were established using ARO and FRO cells in Balb/c nude mice, which were intratumorally (i.t.) treated with either $G47{\Delta}$ or mock. Tumor volumes and mouse survival times were documented. Results: $G47{\Delta}$ was highly cytotoxic to different types of thyroid carcinomas. For ARO, FRO, and KAT-5, greater than 30% and 80% of cells were killed at MOI=0.01 and MOI=0.1, respectively on day 5. WRO cells displayed modest sensitivity to $G47{\Delta}$, with only 21% and 38% of cells killed. In the s.c. tumor model, both of the anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell lines (ARO and FRO) were highly sensitive to $G47{\Delta}$; $G47{\Delta}$ significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the survival of mice bearing s.c. ARO and FRO tumors. Conclusions: The oHSV $G47{\Delta}$ can effectively kill different types of human thyroid carcinomas in vitro. $G47{\Delta}$ significantly inhibited growth of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma in vivo and prolonged animal survival. Therefore, $G47{\Delta}$ may hold great promise for thyroid cancer patients.

Treatment of orthotopic malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors with oncolytic herpes simplex virus

Antoszczyk, Slawomir,Spyra, Melanie,Mautner, Victor Felix,Kurtz, Andreas,Stemmer-Rachamimov, Anat O.,Martuza, Robert L.,Rabkin, Samuel D. Oxford University Press 2014 Neuro-oncology Vol.16 No.8

<P><B>Backgrounds</B></P><P>Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are an aggressive and often lethal sarcoma that frequently develops in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). We developed new preclinical MPNST models and tested the efficacy of oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs), a promising cancer therapeutic that selectively replicates in and kills cancer cells.</P><P><B>Methods</B></P><P>Mouse NF1<SUP>−</SUP> MPNST cell lines and human NF1<SUP>−</SUP> MPNST stemlike cells (MSLCs) were implanted into the sciatic nerves of immunocompetent and athymic mice, respectively. Tumor growth was followed by external measurement and sciatic nerve deficit using a hind-limb scoring system. Oncolytic HSV G47Δ as well as “armed” G47Δ expressing platelet factor 4 (PF4) or interleukin (IL)-12 were injected intratumorally into established sciatic nerve tumors.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>Mouse MPNST cell lines formed tumors with varying growth kinetics. A single intratumoral injection of G47Δ in sciatic nerve tumors derived from human S462 MSLCs in athymic mice or mouse M2 (37-3-18-4) cells in immunocompetent mice significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival. Local IL-12 expression significantly improved the efficacy of G47Δ in syngeneic mice, while PF4 expression prolonged survival. Injection of G47Δ directly into the sciatic nerve of athymic mice resulted in only mild symptoms that did not differ from phosphate buffered saline control.</P><P><B>Conclusions</B></P><P>Two new orthotopic MPNST models are described, including in syngeneic mice, expanding the options for preclinical testing. Oncolytic HSV G47Δ exhibited robust efficacy in both immunodeficient and immunocompetent MPNST models while maintaining safety. Interleukin-12 expression improved efficacy. These studies support the clinical translation of G47Δ for patients with MPNST.</P>

Delayed Diagnosis of Traumatic Rupture of Anterior Papillary Muscle of Tricuspid Valve; Importance of Trans-Esophageal Echocardiogram in the Evaluation of Major Blunt Chest Trauma

( Ryan Bylsma ),( Mustafa Baldawi ),( Bruce Toporoff ),( Matthew Shin ),( Meghan Cochran-yu ),( Davinder Ramsingh ),( Purvi Parwani ),( David G. Rabkin ) 대한외상학회 2021 大韓外傷學會誌 Vol.34 No.2

We present a case of delayed diagnosis of traumatic tricuspid valve rupture in a patient who was emergently brought to the operating room for repair of lacerations to the heart and liver without intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Initial post-operative transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) did not show structural pathology. One week later, TTE with better image quality showed severe tricuspid regurgitation. Subsequently, TEE clearly demonstrated rupture of the anterior papillary muscle and flail anterior tricuspid leaflet. The case description is followed by a brief discussion of the utility of TEE in the setting of blunt thoracic trauma.